Tapestry of a Mutant
by Nayeri
Summary: A Mutant tells her story through a tapestry. How she came to be, and other such things.
1. Flight

Chapter 1 in Fanfic for X-men Evolution.

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My hands work the loom, creating magic with the amazing machine. I love my loom, the click-clack of the boards. The way it turned yarn into a picture. I could never paint or write, but put me infront of a loom, and I can weave stories as well as any author or painter. However, most people don't care about my stories. Well, this tapestry doesn't come from my imagination. This really happened. This is _my_ story.

Deep in a forest, far from what is called civilization, lay a castle. The stones of the castle were covered in ivy, and spiders presided in the windows. It was clearly an ancient castle, and yet the steady light in one of the windows signaled an electric lighting system. Two silhouettes could be seen in that window. They appeared to be arguing.

One silhouette was obviously a female. She was the one arguing the most. What she was arguing about was not apparent to those who were outside. To those on the inside, they knew all too well what the argument was about. It had been going on for hours.

"I did not bring my daughter here to be turned into a killer. I brought her so that she would stand a chance on the outside. That's the only reason I agreed to you putting that gene into her. I will not stand idly by while my daughter's life is ruined." On and on the female screeched, till finally she could yell no more. The the male began to talk.

"Won't stand for it? Won't permit it?! You have no choice!" With each statement the male seemed to get bigger as his rage increased tremendously. "I took you and your husband in when your lives became too difficult. It was I who swore to look after you and your daughter when he died."

"However," stated the male, "I did it on the agreement that you would never question my work. That includes training your charming daughter to be a killer. Your husband was too weak for the training!"

The female blanched, and by the time the male had realized his mistake she had gone. Running up the stairs with the agility and silence of a cat, she opened the door to her room. Whistling the call for her main attendant, she went to the window. When the attendant saw the position her mistress was in, she closed the door silently. Moving to the other female, she gingerly lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What happened, Milady?" asked the assistant. The woman told her assistant the conversation that she had had with the master of the castle. Then she asked what he had meant about her husband. She had always thought that her love had died in a lab accident. The assistant had paled at being asked, but knew that she couldn't avoid such a direct question.

"Milady, are you prepared to hear the truth about the matter?" the assistant questioned. Receiving a nod, she proceeded to tell her the facts. From the master's insidious plan, to the husband's part in that plan. Finally, she told her mistress of the husband's death. Throughout it all, the female remained silent, though she got angrier as the story unfolded. Finally, at the end she spoke.

"I thought my husband had died in a lab accident. That's what I had been told. Your sure about this?" she asked. When the assistant nodded, she thought for about a minute. Finally she said, "Well that's it then. I must get my daughter out of here."

With that, the assistant and her mistress thought out a plan. It took them half an hour before they decided on said plan. The servants of the castle would stir up trouble, distracting the guards and master of the house. Meanwhile the mother and child would escape and head for her sister's house. The daughter would be left there, while the mother would offer herself as a decoy.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the female asked. When her assistant nodded, she sighed. She was told that though the servants would be sacrificing themselves, they wanted to. They owed it to her husband, and because they liked her besides. When told that, she knew she could say no more about the matter without insulting the servant's honor. Instead she collected her daughter, packed, and prepared for the journey.

When the signal was given that the diversion was about to start, the mother picked up her toddler and headed down the hall. She made it to the entrance after very near misses with some of the guards. Turning to her assistant who had walked with her to that point, she gave her a hug. Then she ran out into the forest, waving behind her. She was glad her daughter had fallen asleep, as they had a long journey ahead of them.

The female sighed, and stoked the fire. One week had passed, and both her and her child were exhausted. She thanked her lucky stars that one of her abilities was to draw kindling and wood to her that wouldn't smoke. She looked at her child, and sighed. Would her child suffer from sensing other's pain, like she did? Or would most of her powers come from her father? All these questions swarmed through her mind as she kept watch.

The father hadn't been were', nor had she. But they both had agility that was inhuman. So their child would have been blessed with that, even if she hadn't had the gene injected into her. The mother hoped that the gene would remain dorment when she had to leave her child. Even her sister, who had some of the same abilities, wouldn't be able to control a were'. Then again, maybe the child would take after her father in the liking of the Rennaisance. He had been so into it, even down to wanting to work a loom without electricity.

'Oh my love,' thought the woman 'if you had only know what was going to happen.' She whimpered inside, letting her grief fill her briefly. It helped a great deal to let go of the pressure that was building. When she got ahold of herself, she smiled at her sleeping daughter. Stroking the toddler's hair, she ran a finger over one of the ears. For the child, life would be better on the outside. Said child just slept on, blissfully unaware of her surroundings.

A month had passed since that fateful night. Mother and child hat survived to make it to a city many miles from the castle. When the female entered the city, it was with great caution. Humans had treated her and her husband with scorn. So her nervousness was understandable, as was her habit of sticking to the shadows.

By night, she had reached the section where her sister lived. Had anyone looked out that night, they would have spotted a figure hurrying towards the house at the end of the block. The figure was wearing a torn and stained cloak, so one couldn't tell the gender. It was this anonymous figure who knocked on the door of house 117. The house of the strangest lady in town.

The door opened, and the lady admitted the figure despite shabby appearances. Once the door was closed, the figure spoke "Tynla, it's been a long time sister." Tynla nodded agreement, and embraced her sister. She asked why the female was back in town. The female proceeded to take her daughter out from beneath the protective cloak, and then told her story.

"So you see, Tynla, I need you to watch after her," stated the woman. Tynla, who had looked in shocked amazement at her sister and niece throughout the story, nodded. Holding out her arms for the child, she grinned lop-sidedly. Relieved, the woman handed her daughter to her sister. She told Tynla that her current name didn't matter, and to rename her.

The sisters spent one more hour before the mother of the newly named toddler left. She did not take food with her. She fully expected to be dead within the week. Hugging Tynla goodbye, she told her to protect the child. She agreed, saying "I will watch over my niece."

The toddler wouldn't see her mother for years to come. She stayed with her aunt Tynla, and was content with her new name. Nakri.

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Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution (nor do I own Marvel comics.) Any recognizable characters are part of said comic company. All others are OC, and I do sort of own them.

Nakri: No you don't

Author: Shush you. Anyways, not meant to be a one-shot, but I do have a life off of the computer, and that life is about to get hectic. So don't be surprised if I don't post for months at a time. Please R&R, but be gentle if you're a critic. This is my first fanfic story.


	2. Powers Unhinged

Nakri sighed with delight, fingering the miniature loom that she had gotten for her seventh birthday. Her aunt had shown her the larger loom that was in the den. After that the child had been infinitely fascinated with the intriguing machine. Occasionally she was allowed to roll out the yarn for Tynla while she was weaving. When Nakri's birthday came that year, she had been thrilled when she opened the largest present to discover the loom that fit her perfectly.

Now, the young girl wasn't like other children. She never liked to play with her neighbors; mostly because they, and their parents, considered her aunt weird. As Tynla was the only mother she remembered, this angered her greatly. Though she knew that Tynla wasn't really her mother, she always called her that mentally, for she cared for her aunt a great deal.

Besides the teasing and utter unfriendliness of the other children, she also seemed to have a strange power. She could sense others feelings, though her aunt's were always stronger than others. It still had a dampening effect on her outside play, for she could feel the hostility of her peers. So, she stayed mainly inside, reading and doing other indoor activities. She never lacked for exercise though, and was always first to volunteer for demonstrations during gym at school. Growing up scholar and athlete made her stronger and smarter than most. That also was a cause for the disfavor from her peers.

Now, though, that she had the loom, she could spend hours just doing that. She sat down on a small stool, positioning herself right. Taking the yarn ball, she began to weave something. Not sure what, she just let her fingers and the machine do 'magic'. Several hours past, and she was pleased to present her aunt with a beautiful tapestry. The ache in her body was worth it simply for the feeling of success she had in completing it. The praise she got was just an extra bonus. Neither aunt, nor child, noticed that it was an ominous beauty, for there was a shadow in the picture that was unaccounted for. In later years, Nakri would remember though, for it was a picture of her and her aunt, together and happy. A happiness that was never to last.

X:E*R*X:E*R

Many months went by, and each day Nakri worked at her loom. The walls of her bedroom were soon filled with her mini-tapestries. All were pleasant, and very clever. There was always a shadow though, somewhere in the picture. Tynla started to notice, and though she felt it was a bad omen, she couldn't place her finger on why she felt that way. The feeling was just there, and it was quite annoying at that.

She would soon understand the feeling, as one day something happened that would change her niece's life forever. It was a cold, rainy day, just after lunch. Nakri had decided to read that day, instead of practice on her loom. Her favorite tapestry was draped over her shoulders, acting as a blanket/cape that day. She was quite involved in the story, and had just gotten to her favorite part when the sound of someone hammering at the door could be heard. Tynla bustled past her, flour on her face and apron. It was baking day that day, Nakri recalled. As it was every rainy day.

Then she heard shouting coming from the doorway. Getting up, she tiptoed to peek down the hall. She saw her aunt standing in the doorway, blocking a hulking figure from coming in. She was shouting "This is private property; get out of here before I call the cops! No, I won't let you have the child! You're not...Aaaaaargh!" Tynla's words were cut short as she was sent flying down the hallway, a gaping wound in her shoulder.

"Aunt Tynla!" yelled Nakri, starting to run down the hall. She stopped as Tynla told her to run, to get out of the house at all cost. She did as she was bid, hearing behind her the unwelcome guest charging after her. Unfortunately for the visitor, Nakri knew all the passageways her aunt had put into the house. And many were there that only she could fit in. She could smell gas, and knew she had to get out of there within an hour if she wished to survive.

She had made it to the back door but felt something catch her foot as she was about to exit. She was hauled backwards, and sent spinning into a wall. If she hadn't had such a thick head, it would easily have knocked her out. It was then, though, that she saw the visitors face. It was a man, an ugly one, who had a mean look in his face. He was wielding a dirk, and was approaching her with it.

Now, Nakri had other gifts besides her empathy. But her birth mother had locked them all up, to only come out in dire straits. Now was one of those times, for as she gazed at the dirk, it began to bend and twist into a harmless ball. But this did not keep her would be kidnapper from trying to reach her. Not knowing what to do, she cowered there. It was as a fist connected with her right shoulder that her ultimate gift, and curse, came to the surface. Even as she was sent sliding down a few feet, she began to change. Within a few short minutes the girl was covered in fur, and more importantly, had claws.

It was with these that she turned on her attacker. It was over quickly, and imprinted on the still unfused mind of the young child. Mainly because she transformed back immediately after the man was dead, and saw the blood on her hands. She was stunned, and ran out of the house. It was fortunate that her panic led her into safety, for it was at that time that an untended candle flame was met by the gas. The resultant explosion was enough to lift the child off her feet and go flying for a bit. As she landed, she lost consciousness, and was soon soaked.

An hour later she woke, feeling stiff and sore. The blood had been rinsed from her hands. Turning, she got up and started to go back to the house, then sat back down. She looked at the devastated house with stunned eyes. For the first time she pushed her mental gift to the limit, changing it into a telepathic gift in the meantime. When she sensed no life in the house, she began to wail with her distress.

After a while of crying, she dried her tears as best she could, and turned away from her only home. She began walking in an unknown direction. She hadn't truly recovered from the pain, but shock had overcome her. It numbed the mind, and feelings, and helped her to continue moving. It was in this mode that she found an old building, many hours from the life she had known. It seemed empty, so she opened the nearest door and went in. She was hungry, as well as cold and wet. Cuddling up under her last tapestry that had somehow managed to stay on her shoulders throughout, she buried her head into her arms. She soon fell asleep like that, not aware of the eyes that watched her.

X:E*R*X:E*R

Nakri woke to voices talking around her. She opened one eye, and peered about. She could see shadows, but that was about it. Then one voice rose louder than the others, or was closer. It was asking "Who is it? What is it?" She heard someone answer "Numbskull! It's a girl, a child." She frowned at that, for she never liked being called a child, though she knew she was.

Another voice spoke, this one in a growl "Who cares what, or even who she is? Why is she here is what I would like to know!" A kinder voice answered, almost too low for even her ears to hear "Does it matter? She obviously is homeless, just as we all are. I say we take her in." The growly voice answered "No! What if whatever made her homeless comes back? Or what if it is just a trick by the grown-ups to capture all of us?"

Nakri winced mentally at the sheer hatred in that voice. The idea that grown-ups were 'bad' was new to her. Then again, it had been an adult that had caused her life to become topsy-turvy. Caught up in her own thoughts, she nearly missed what a fifth, authoritative voice declared "I seriously doubt that there are any grown-ups around. Look at the covering she has, it is burnt in many places. I agree with Mary, we should take her in." Most of the voices murmured assent, though there was grumbling coming from the one who had protested.

"Now all we have to do is wait till she wakes up." spoke the first voice that she had heard. Nakri closed her eyelid quickly, and remained still. Too still, apparently, for the second voice laughed "She _is_ awake." A voice answered, one she identified as being Mary's "Poor thing, she's probably scared. I suggest that most of us back off." A shuffling of feet was heard, though a hiss of a whisper could be heard.

Nakri opened her eyes warily, looking around her. The only two she could see was a big boy, at least fourteen, and a sweet looking girl who was around eleven. Sitting up gingerly, she pulled her tapestry around her. She didn't realize her eyes were wide, with most of the pupil enveloping the iris. She wished she could rewind her day by twenty-four hours, as she'd rather be safe at home than on shaky ground with unknown peers.

The eleven year old smiled gently at her, and said "Hello, little one. I'm Mary, that's Taron," pointing at the fourteen year old. Nakri blinked in confusion: from her experience, people younger than eighteen weren't friendly to her, yet Mary definitely was a kind soul. "What is your name?" said Mary, interrupting Nakri's contemplation.

"Nakri" replied Nakri hesitantly. She then asked, "Where am I? Why are there so many people here?" Her eyes glittered with curiosity, though her pupils were still large. The last time she had come into contact with another 'child', she had been teased and bullied horrendously. She wasn't in the mood to deal with that again.

Mary smiled sadly at her, understanding, somehow, her dread at being near other people. She said quietly "This is the place where children, for one reason or another, are orphans; either in the eyes of the law, or the eyes of their parents. Many of us have lost our trust in adults; some have even lost their trust in humanity." She watched as Nakri's face went from fear to sorrow. It was obvious the child had been hurt by adult, but not her family. She continued speaking, "We protect each other, and help each other survive. We are family. We can provide the same for you, if you choose to take it."

Nakri looked stunned, and withdrew into herself slightly to think. What was she to do? She had a family, and they had ended up being killed. How could she be sure that it wouldn't end up the same way? Or worse, that they wouldn't turn against her like her peers had? She then noticed something: she could hear the thoughts of those around her, not just the feelings. Most were just curious about her, one was definitely wary and hateful towards her (she assumed this was the one who hadn't wanted her around), and Mary and Taron wanted her as part of their group. They were honest! This came as such a surprise to Nakri, that her mouth said before her brain caught up with it "Yes, please, if you truly want me."

Mary nodded, and smiled. She held her hand out, which Nakri took gently. She was then led to the back of the building, to be shown a complex of apartments, all of which had been shut down years ago. Mary said quietly, "Welcome to the Orphan's Complex."

(End Author's Note: I know it has been years since I posted, but I got stuck where Mary said they should all back up. Anyway, I'm kind of disappointed in my readers. Out of the several handfuls, one person Reviewed. Please, people, R&R. It gives me incentive to post, because I know that people are truly reading my stories.)


	3. Puberty Hits

_Seven years later_

_Nakri: 14, Main Character_

_Razz: 15, Nakri's Rival_

_Mary: 18, and in the adult world system_

_Taron: 22, and in the adult world system_

Nakri leaned against a dumpster beyond the view of the security cameras. Her eyes could see the grocery story, lit up and ripe for the plucking. She wore a black, latex body suit, a black mask over her eyes, and rubber gloves. She had once seen the fashion in a department store; it was called 'cat burglar's friend'. She had, naturally, lifted it when she had seen it. It had proven useful to hide her identity.

However, it wasn't her identity at the moment she was grumbling about, but the fact that Razz was late, making the rest of the team wait for him. He was the strong arm to her technical abilities. She had discovered over the course of the past seven years that her metal shaping ability could be fine-tuned to affect electronics. In other words, she was a walking de-securitized or magnet if you will. But she couldn't do anything without Razz watching her back, making sure that there weren't actively patrolling guards heading her way!

Finally Razz showed up, and she growled "You're late." He shrugged unapologetically, and they both bounded toward the store wall. He was dressed much like her, though he wore a ski mask to hide his face.

This was put out of her mind as she reached the security box that controlled the outside alarms. She held her hand an inch from the box, and concentrated. She smirked in satisfaction as the alarm switched off almost immediately. She also noted that all the cameras on the outside turned off. She raised her hand and made a motion to signal their unit to get into swarming position once she gave the radio message.

After she had alerted her team, she went to the back door, pulling out a clean skeleton key. With it, she began to steadily pick the lock, shifting the metal to match the inside of the lock. There was no other person in the entire Orphan's Complex that could enter a building so smoothly without leaving a trace of themselves behind.

She smiled at the click, and opened the door silently. Both she and Razz slipped into the building, closing the door while leaving it unlocked. They ran to the nearest shadows, Nakri's eyes glancing about to try and find the cameras. She spotted them, noting that they were once again outside the view of them. Hunkering down in her shadow, she pulled out her blueprint map while Razz stood guard against any guard finding them.

She looked over the blueprint, and found the security center. Putting it away, she pointed over to where they were to go. Razz nodded, and they both scampered from shadow to shadow, heading for the room that held all the security features of the grocery store. They carefully looked into the window, pleased to note that the security guard was definitely not paying attention to the door.

Nakri carefully disabled the lock, struggling with the non-electric metal. Once it was open, however, she opened the door sharply, allowing Razz to rush in. He easily knocked the guard out, though she wished that he would do it more subtly.

She entered the office, looked about, and turned off all security features but the cameras. She made sure that the cameras would _not_ record what was seen. She then glanced at the screens, making sure that the patrols hadn't found the open door. Once she was assured the guards had not discovered the intrusion, she pulled her walkie-talkie off her belt. It was a special version, connected to her personal wave length instead of the normal radio waves which would have given them away.

"Attention all units, the coast is clear. Groups of 3 only, got that? You all have your lists; just make sure you aren't spotted," she said into the hand-held device. After getting a 'Roger that, Squad Leader' from everyone, she sat down at the monitor to keep an eye on the situation. Razz glared at her, but contented himself with perching near the door.

Like a well-oiled machine, their team slipped the listed items into their bags. They all were equipped with rubber gloves, and special boots that were groove-less. They couldn't help but leave some evidence behind, but it wasn't enough to lead the twice be-damned police officers to their HQ. They had had run-ins previously, and had lost a couple of the older orphans to the prisons. Therefore, they had started to make sure that there was no way that their home could be found.

It only took twenty minutes from start to finish for them to get everything and get out. Nakri left behind a time activator, locked the doors, and joined her team. The activator would dissolve after the security system was back up and running. The one guard that had been knocked out would think he had fallen asleep and banged his head on the tile or something. Confident that they had succeeded in their mission, the team went back to Orphan Complex under a clearing sky.

RX:ERX:E

Nakri growled softly, glaring at Razz. They had been arguing the minute they had stepped into the main apartment building. She was furious that he had come late, risking all of them and the orphans who had stayed home because they were too young or too sick to go. And all because he had so little respect for her!

Huffing in disgust as Razz ended his harangue of her offenses, imagine or real, she said, "I'm not going to stay here and let this degenerate into a fist-fight, Razz." With that she stalked off to her apartment. The other orphans avoided eye contact, knowing better than to irritate her when she was in a mood.

Opening her door sharply, she stepped in, then closed and locked it quietly. She muttered to herself about inconsiderate dunces. She knew she was in a pissy mood because she was on her moon time. She had just come into her puberty the month before, and found it really made her more likely to snap. Coupled with the fact that she was always antsy during the nights of the full moon, and it was no wonder she was feeling angrier than usual.

She quietly walked over to her window, hoping that it would help to calm her down. Her eyes traveled up to the night sky, noticing that the clouds were beginning to part. Her eyes soon caught sight of the full moon; it was infinitely beautiful, and yet ominous. The longer she stared, the more she felt a half-remembered feeling blooming in her mind.

Pain flared behind her eyes as her rationale mind turned off. She let out a scream of agony that quickly turned into a felinish shriek. Her last bit of conscious thought noted with horror that her hands had become furred, with retractable claws. Then everything went black.

RX:ERX:E

In a mansion located in Westchester County, New York, a man was surveying a wall-sized monitor as it beeped an alarm. A picture developed of a young girl, no more than 7, then gave the stats on her as well as the general location. He looked surprised: the picture was of a young girl, but the stats said she was fourteen now. Why the discrepancy?

Instead of dwelling on the computer error, he copied down the coordinates, printed out a copy of them and the picture/stats, and used the stick on his arm rest to motorize to the living room for the mansion. He called his students to him mentally, as well as to call Ouroro and Logan. He had recognized the stats and name as a previously identified mutant. They had to reach her before Magneto found her, and converted her to hating the humans that were Giftless.

He waited patiently as they filed in. As expect, Ouroro and Logan were first. Then Jean and Scott filed in and found a seat. Last came: Kitty, Kurt, Evan and Rogue in that order. Like Jean and Scott, they found seats of their own. Logan normally preferred to stand, and Ouroro was apparently anxious about something that she'd been working on.

The man, whose full name was Charles Xavier, but who was called Professor X by the kids, looked at his students quietly for a minute. He then began to speak "A previously missing mutant has shown up again after seven years. Ouroro, you remember the exploded house we found when we went to look for her previously?" At her nod, he held out the picture, stats and location paper to her. He continued "Except for empathy and an affinity with metal, we have no idea what the powers of this teen are. Nor do we know if she will be accepting of us. I want Logan, Jean and Rogue to scope her out, and try and convince her to join if you can."

Both Jean and Logan nodded quietly, Logan for once not saying anything, sensing the serious nature of the entire matter. Rogue was obviously surprised at being included. She had only just joined up with the X-Men a week ago, and didn't nearly have the seniority that one of the other members did. However, she wasn't about to argue with the assignment. She was curious to know how a case like this was handled, and wondered if it would be that much different from her terror-filled night when her power asserted itself.

The three mutants headed for one of the less conspicuous transports, as the location wasn't that far from where they lived. Their thoughts were either on the mission ahead, or the worry that Magneto, Mystique and the Brotherhood would get wind of the mission before it was even begun. With those thoughts, the chosen team headed out for an unremarkable city a couple of states away.


End file.
